part of why jojo is so special to so many people is because in the very fibres of its designs and names and everything, its intertwined with music. i love how many fans have been introduced to good music through jojo, i know i have, and how many have found comfort or memories in callbacks and references. and a lot of peopleβs creative processes, including my own, is also intertwined with music, so its such an inspiring series to read and relate to both author and characters.
soβ¦β¦ this list is a long time coming. and its alsoβ¦ long. very long. soβ¦ more of an archive than anything else. and obviously no obligation to look through it all.
but iβve organized it! there are a few different categories, a general sbr section, a gyjo section,Β Β and individual johnny/gyro sections. some of the songs in each section will contain write-ups, with these being at the top of each individual list (idk how long these r gonna be. sorry.)
the rest of the lists will just be artist/title, listen at your leisure. please enjoy, if u want!
pepper - butthole surfers the lyricsβ¦ match up so wellβ¦ especially the chorusβ¦. i envision the devilβs palm, sugar mountain, its just so hot and buzzyβ¦ βsoftly spoken liesβ valentineβs snakey promise, βyou never know just how you look through other peopleβs eyesβ gyro watching johnny turn away with the corpse parts and leaving him to the treeβ¦ βpauly caught a bullet but it only hit his leg well it should have been a better shot and caught him in the headβ¦β yeahβ¦
allentown - billy joel obligatory add. βthrow an american flag in our faceβ it sums up the failings of america while making you feel bittersweet about its people.Β
america - paul simon another obligatory add, THE buddy road trip song if you need to feel a gut-wrenching ache for the past and futureβ¦Β
you enjoy myself - phish this one is funny. its 20 minutes long but the first lyrics, βboy, man, god, shitβ i envision all the scenes of johnnyβs past so like. hes with danny, then heβs getting shot, then heβs with jesus, then hes facing valentine. thereβs gonna be a lot of phish on here. apologies. i just think their sound really matches the plot and character intricacies, iβll get into it more in the gyro section
one way or another - blondie very funny valentine to me
red red wine - UB40 the scene in righteous gemstones finale with this song changed my brain chemistry a little bit. i think about love train with diego crawling on the tracks.Β
ego - tribe called quest this song was written during donald trumpβs first presidency. so. fits. changing timelines for power and your ego.Β
the last resort - eagles i dont like that johnny talked abt manifest destiny in the anime i DO think that everyone should listen to this song
bushfire - midnight oil about new beginnings
night vision - daft punk quiet nights sharing stories
audio, video, disco - justice not only does this song have insane aura i enjoy the latin βi hear, i see, i learn.β thematic and beautiful and rushing song. it has an air of discovery to it.Β
jockey full of bourbon - tom waits
the logical song - supertramp
fly like an eagle - steve miller band
tangled up in blue - bob dylan
riders on the storm - the doors
heaven on their minds - jesus christ superstar
sinner, you better get ready - the righteous gemstones soundtrack
old time religion - loretta lynn
lovers of the world - jerry wallace
crockettβs theme from miami vice II - jan hammer
possarinhos - pierre cavalli
marionberry jam - allah-las
discover the redeemer - righteous gemstones season 3 soundtrack
i hope that i dont fall in love with you - tom waits i dont know what mr waits puts in his music,β¦ this is a johnny pov song because hes the more reluctant one to acknowledge his feelings
martha - tom waits this song is SPECIFICALLY for the old gyjo au. they both survive but live apart. listen to it and cry at the piano
joy - iron and wine there was a while when i couldnt listen to this song bc of association with something else but i came back to it and BROOOβ¦ it took me a minute to parse whether this is a johnny pov or a gyro pov song but ive settled on gyro. βiβm only calm when i get lost within your well darkness,β and βiβm only fighting cause you finally gave me something to loseβ settled it. but honestly, it could be either one. something about a little gyro being taught not to feel, to sing, to laugh, to have any sort of joy, meeting someone he can be himself around. shut up
diamonds and rust - joan baez okay. johnny pov. firstly, diamonds and rust. the alternate race was searching for diamonds. rust, blood on the train. this one is gonna be long sorry. third stanza - βunwashed phenomenon, the original vagabond,β hi gyro.. and then all the stuff about the madonna - lucy, they are both trapped in the ocean by valentine, it was gyros choice to save her, the light that radiated from her kept her safe but couldnt protect gyro because otherwise he wouldnt have been able to fight. the bridge that follows is basically a verbatim telling of end of sugar mountain arc. fourth stanza is another description of gyro, heβs nostalgic, sentimental, vague with his past and his goals, and johnny paid with gyroβs life in exchange for the corpse, lucy, and his legs. horribly good song.Β
suzanne - leonard cohen (separating the art from the artist here) *** verse 2 and chorus are very johnny to me, and his relationship to the corpse, particularly jojolion. his desperation to save his family, his time being a sailor, his blind trust in the power of the corpse. as well as the last bit of the chorus, βheβs touched your perfect body with his mindβ¦.β people have mixed feelings about johnny regaining use of his legs at the end, and i do agree it would have been interesting had he not. i think that this verse here sums it up, he didnβt need Jesus to get βback to zero,β it was his own volition and drive of wanting to be *better.* any sort of complex he has about his body is the tragic result of that accident, it opens his eyes to his previous actions and how much his father and fame had changed him from that gentle child he used to be. johnnyβs already βfearfully and wonderfully madeβ (psalm 139:14), itβs his soul that needs healing. itβs a broken soul which caused the result of a broken body, and healing the body does not heal the soul. so maybe, even though it wasnβt necessary, the use of his legs in the end was a βgiftβ for doing the work to heal his soul in the process, as he can now ambulate without the constant use of the corpse inside him. sure, the corpse marks him with βmove your legs,β βmovere crus,β but jesus actually *speaks* to johnny about his heart. im not sure if iβm articulating this correctly. i hope it makes sense. also, in the same vein, gyro was ready to give up on the corpse and valentine, and due to that interaction, we know that gyro never needed johnny to walk in order to love him. similar to jesus, in a way. i mean, we already knew this because of his intensely sacrificial and empathetic heart, butβ¦ hereβs some more evidence, headcanon-wise.. is that too out there..! maybe! whatever!
grace - IDLES idk whos pov this is. it feels like both of them. but its beautiful lyrics. im honestly so in love with the righteous gemstones soundtrack ive talked about it way too many times already πthat show is spectacular if u need to laugh about fucked up rich evangelical dynasties and watch a queer slowburn that ends happily
always on my mind - pet shop boys (cover of willie nelson) johnny pov. i love the 80s stuff. pov from after gyroβs gone, and died unrequited
right by your side - eurythmics another johnny pov, i love the contrast of the lyrics and the musicality lmao. yeah youβre depressed but here comes a goofy bitch with steel drums (balls)
a long december - opus orange (cover of counting crows) the only reason i know this cover is because heβs my βuncle (like family friend uncle),β and in fact ive showed him the βlets make a toastβ fanart i posted to instagram usign this cover π but i do think it fits tonally with sbr better than the original.Β its beautiful beautiful beautiful!!!
talk - phish this SONGGGGUHHHHHβ¦ this is a gyro pov. im gonna be honest. i thought that the βcanβtβ in the lyrics was a βcan.β and just learned, now, that it is in fact βi cant talk my talk with you.β ok. BUT it still works. itβs basically about johnnyβs deadpan, gyroβs apprehension about being his true self, cracking jokes, doing weird shit, pulling faces, trying to get through to johnnyβs smile.Β
youre the one - paul simon i made the comic about it. thats the explanation.
hello me and you - superorganism thats right, the song from the lego movie 2 soundtrack. two opposites being a team, two odd ducks finding symmetry.Β
sweet little lies - fleetwood mac ok ive spent hours listening to this song in the past week by now. itβs so beautiful. i picture johnny, right after the fight with valentine, or on the boat home, and gyro would be his sweet little lie. had he had taken valentineβs offer. i wanna make an animatic to it but im not sure
over my head - fleetwood mac GYRO POVVVVV
sunlight - hozier that light of hope found on the beach (johnny pov)
wait - the beatles gyro waiting to see johnny in jojo heaven
just the way you are - billy joel gyro pov shut UP billy joel SHUT UP!!
youβre my home - billy joel all the locations mentioned, associating american landmarks with your lover, two people who meet on the road and never have a stable home togetherβ¦ SHUT UP BILLY JOEL
itβs all over now, baby blue - joan baez cover of bob dylan (sorry bob her voice is nicer on this one) i want gyroβs italian pet name for johnny to be βbaby blueβ
her majesty - the beatles gyro pov
evergreen - YEBBA johnny pov right after gyro dies SHUT UP βso will you wait for me, my evergreen, i know its just as hard in heavenβ
mystery of love - sufjan stevens βthe birthmark on your shoulder reminds meβ
chiquitita - ABBA gyro pov duh
white table - delta spirit
devil knows youβre dead - delta spirit
wish you were here - pink floyd
enough!! - tribe called quest
gentle on my mind - glen campbell
true love waits - radiohead
present tense - radiohead
should have known better - sufjan stevenβs
fourth of july - sufjan stevens
i want to lay with you - shira small
so far away - dire straits
bless the telephone - labi siffre
just like heaven - the cure
fire and rain - james taylor
lay down (candles in the rain) - melanie
youβve got to hide your love away - the beatles
wicked game - chris isaak
west end girls - pet shop boys
harvest moon - neil young
hereβs where the story ends - the sundays
this must be the place - talking heads
golden years - david bowie
move by yourself - donavon frankenreiter
goodbye stranger - supertramp
give a little bit - supertramp
light my fire - the doors
save a prayer - duran duran
try and love again - eagles
just what i needed - the cars
birds of a feather - phish the musicality of phish really fits gyro - that organized chaos, and then just the nature of jam-band being to muse on sounds and work them out before arriving at the pinnacle of the song. its very βfinding the golden pathβ in my opinion. anyhow, this particular song is shorter, but the lyrics are SUPER reminiscent of the self-disappointment of being a conformist that gyro carries. hating being valued only for his bloodline or his skill, going mindlessly along with others because theyre using you for a fling or to kill their citizens. i love this song for him so much
how soon is now? - the smiths look i know how we, yes, we, ALL feel about the smiths but this song is painfully gyro codedβ¦ his anger at being the inheritor and not wanting to be told what to doβ¦ aching to be sentimentalβ¦ okay morrissey whatever manΒ
vienna - billy joel look i know that everyone and their MOTHER knows and loves this song but THINK ABOUT ITTTTβ¦ the shining eldest son whoβs light went out too soonβ¦ ambition without an honestly acknowledged purpose until the very endβ¦ gyroβ¦.
home again - delta spirit
california - delta spirit
bigmouth strikes again - the smithsΒ
so tell the girls that i am back in town - jay jay johanssonΒ
the age of worry - john Mayer
persistence - king gizzard and the lizard wizard
one trick pony - paul simon
the manβs too strong - dire straits
owner of a lonely heart - yes my personal favorite song, also, perfect for johnnyΒ
new kid in town - eagles joekid pipeline. lyrics are uncannily matching
rocky mountain high - john denver again, uncanny lyrics. finding yourself again, finding peace in nature, picking yourself up from hubris and arrogance to be humble, losing a friend but keeping his memory⦠the solace of traveling across the beautiful landscapes of america⦠still holding fear of encroaching danger upon a thing you love⦠johnny song for sure
my hero, zero - school house rock (bob dorough) when i think about this song for johnny i do get emotional. funny little hero, not taken seriously, doesnt even take himself seriously. called βnothing,β calls himself βless than zero,β βbut when you run out of digits, you can start all over again.β you can start over and over βforever, towards infinity. no one ever gets there, but you could try.β he got there!!! i hope the comparison isnβt too metaβ¦ zero adds value to other digits, johnny adds value to otherβs lives, even if he doesnβt think about it. he gave gyro lesson 5, he gave his wife and kid a safe life, he gave lucy support, he gave danny an escape. UGH!Β
salt in the wound - delta spirit βif thereβs a god in my head, then thereβs a devil too. how can i tell the difference, when they both claim to be true?β this song very much encompasses johnnyβs melancholy to me. the questioning of life, of purpose, of having self-inflicted βchainsβ and guilt. βwell the earth is so tender and cruelβ¦ well if youβre not there itβs still so beautiful..β found that beautiful ratio and it stays even after the one who taught it is gone.. salt of the sea and tears are salt in the wound
youβre only human - billy joel ultimate starting over song, peak, no notes
talk show host - radiohead this song just has so much aura. and johnnyβs ready for valentine with a gun. so cool
harmony hall - vampire weekend βi dont wanna life like this, but i dont wanna dieβ JOHNNY
learning to fly - tom petty
please, please, please let me get what i want - The dream academy (the smiths cover)
touch of grey - grateful dead
walk of life - dire straits
mad world - tears for fears
the stranger - billy joel
you canβt always get what you want - the rolling stones
are you satisfied - marina
alrightβ¦ PHEW!!! if absolutely anyone looked at any of these thank you thank you thank you, and if anyone has music refs or wants to expand on these song analyses please do so. gosh! that was so long! hope these were enjoyable π
youβre my home - billy joel
annaxmalina
romaincrisis
turnnoffyourmind
baratheonpilled
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